The world is full of Kingdoms. There are kingdoms everywhere. In fact, for those that studied Botany or Zoology, there’s something called ‘the plant kingdom’, and something called ‘the animal kingdom’. You see that while you are doing that study, they will categorize different species of animals and plants and tell you, in this kingdom, this is called something, their botanical name or their species. They give you a name and say it belongs to the “ant kingdom”, “mammal kingdom” and all that. But what is Kingdom?

Kingdom tells us about domain. It talks about dominion. It talks about a place, a territory in which there is a ruler called a king or a queen. So, a kingdom talks about a territory. So, for a kingdom to exist, a territory must exist, there must be a domain. A kingdom does not exist in vacuum. It exists in a territory and that territory is usually ruled by a king or a queen.

Now, what kingdom do you represent? We will go straight into the focus of the Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 47:7-8, the Bible makes us to understand something about God. It says: "For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne."

 “For God is the King” If you look at your Bible very well, you will see that in the “King”, there is a capital “K” “for God is the King of all the earth” so if there has ever been a contention, ever been an argument, ever been a misunderstanding of the domain of God’s kingship, of God’s rulership, Psalm 47:7-8 makes us understand it. It didn’t talk about Him being King and did not include the domain. Every time a king is being mentioned, it’s not just a king, you can’t say “You know he is a King”. Of where? Nowhere! Then he is not a king. There has to be a territory attached to it. It said “For God is the King of all the earth”. “All” including “All”, “Sing praises with understanding”. Verse 8 says “God reigns” because this is how we will understand what kingdom really means. “God reigns” because if a king does not reign, he is not a king.  Verse 7 says “For God is the King of all the earth”, Verse 8 “God reigns over the nations”, this is how God is the King of all the earth. God is not the King of all the earth because He is God or He just has a name but God is the King of all the earth because He reigns over the nations. “God sits on His holy throne”

 I love this particular verses because it dissects to us the essentials and elements of kingdom. For there to be a kingdom; there is a king, there is a domain, there is a throne and there is authority. Four essentials; there is a domain, a king, authority and a throne. So God has a throne; His holy throne so it qualifies Him to have authority over all the nations, it qualifies Him to have a kingdom. Another thing, it said “He sits”, He does not just have a throne, “He sits”. He possesses the throne, His Holy throne, which qualifies Him to have a kingdom. In 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, David here, praising the Lord said in verse 11 to 12:

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great, And to give strength to all.

These Scriptures are intentional. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours”. The King has authority and possesses all that is in His domain. So, if any other person claims authority over the heavens and the earth, the person is fake because the Scripture here makes us understand. He said “for all that is in heaven” nothing outside it; “all that is heaven and in earth is yours”. It belongs to the King. “Yours is the kingdom oh lord and you are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great, And to give strength to all.”

The kingdom of God cannot be denied. The reign of God cannot be denied. All of heaven and all of earth is His. He said” Yours is the greatness”. We are taking time to read this so that we will understand the kingdom that we are talking about because any kingdom is as powerful as the king over the kingdom. Any kingdom is as influential as the king over the kingdom. Any kingdom is as strong as the king over the kingdom. When we understand the king, it will give us a picture and a clear understanding of the kingdom. If you don’t understand the king, you can’t understand the kingdom. He said “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.  Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great, And to give strength to all.”

Now let us see the nature of God’s kingdom in Micah 4:1- 3, because Psalm 45:6 talks about the throne of God which is forever and ever. Psalm 45:6 says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom."  But Psalm 9:7- 8 talks about the throne of God which is forever and ever. It says: "But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness."

Psalm 93:1-3 and Psalm 103:19 also talks about the King. Psalm 93:1-3 says: "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves." and Psalm 103:19 says: "The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all." All these above Scriptures makes us to understand fully the King.

 

Listen to Podcast: What Kingdom Do You Represent: Discover How to Represent God First Class

But I would love us to read Micah 4:1-3 that I talked about earlier It speaks of the nature of God’s throne,  and the nature of His kingdom. Micah 4:1-3, the Bible says:

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, That the mountain of the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. 2 Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore." 

This is the mountain of the Lord. He said ‘in the latter days, this will be the experience of the kingdom. This will be the experience of the Lord’s house. Nations will flow to it’. People will come saying “Come let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, He will teach us His ways” There is a way of a king. He said “He will teach us His ways” If you notice in that Scripture, both “His” and “He” are capital letters. The Scripture says “when you come to the King, let your word be few,” that means there is a protocol of appearing before the king.

There is a way of the kingdom because we see the link; everything that the king represents, the kingdom represents, everything that the king is, the kingdom is so if we are talking about the king here, just in your subconscious, also put in the kingdom “and we shall walk in his path” and verse 3 says “and he shall judge between many people” but that’s not really where we are going to. Those two sentences are where we want to hammer on a little, it said “He will teach us His ways”. There is a way of the kingdom. Have you ever seen somebody appointed as an ambassador of a kingdom and the person does not go through training? In fact, before the person is even appointed, there is a statutory requirement, there is an expectation that is made or expected of that person.

There are certain things you should have known, then they will take you through things that you don’t know. Why? Because it’s a delicate and important matter. Have you heard the stories of ambassadors that were disgraced? Look at it properly, were they the only ones that were disgraced? Let’s be critical, when they say, the ambassador of Nigeria to France was engaged in something and they now sent him back to Nigeria, what happens to the image of Nigeria in France? It has been tarnished alongside the ambassador, that’s why God is always concerned about every citizen because every citizen of God’s kingdom is a potential ambassador and for every citizen of the kingdom, they represent the King and that’s why it said here, “Come let us go to the mountain of the lord, to the house of Jacob, he will teach us” because we can’t represent him if he does not teach us, we can’t become one of his ambassadors, He has to teach us and the kingdom is  so delicate, the kingdom is  so sensitive.

Let us see together, Mark 4, let’s see what Jesus said about the kingdom there. The kingdom is so sensitive, it’s such a delicate matter, it’s such a sensitive matter to what shall we liken it? Or what parable shall we picture it? See what Jesus likened it to? Mark 4:30- 32, it says:

"Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Did we see verse 32, “when it is sown”, it is like a mustard seed. It is small. It is insignificant. It’s so delicate. It’s so sensitive. It is such a light issue that people can just take for granted. They can take it lightly. But this is the effect. “But when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs and shoots it large branches so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” That’s the kingdom of God, that’s the picture that Jesus gave of the kingdom of God. It’s so sensitive, at the same time so great. They don’t toil with greatness, for example, do you have a range rover 2019 model and you put a 4 years old on the driver seat and ask him to drive? Will that child be a good ambassador of that car? No! so you don’t even do it.

The same way God will not put on the driver’s seat of the kingdom, the ambassadorial seat of the kingdom, a child that has not been taught, a child that have not matured, a child that have not gone through the process to be able to handle the greatness of the kingdom. Something is often said that ‘when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable’. That child does not know the worth of that car, that child does not understand the sacrifice you went through to purchase that car, that child does not understand the net worth of that car, that the car can build  a house or houses or estate, that child does not understand that  the car is expensive, that’s the same way a child, a babe, one that has not learnt of the kingdom cannot understand the importance and the greatness of the kingdom and that’s where God will not put such one as an ambassador of the kingdom. The kingdom we represent is so great, so powerful. See how the kingdom of God was described here in Daniel chapter 4 and chapter 7. The kingdom of God is so great.

Daniel 4 was the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar concerning the kingdom. In Daniel 4:34-35, the Bible says:

"And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven. And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand. Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

Daniel 7:7- 18;

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. 9 "I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;

10 A fiery stream issued. And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. 11 "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one. Which shall not be destroyed.

15 "I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'

He said all the people, all the nations will serve Him. That’s the nature of God’s kingdom, it is so great. In Daniel 2, there is a picture of God’s kingdom that was described. He had a vision and there were different kingdoms. He said All those kingdoms were destroyed but God established a kingdom. He said a kingdom was like a stone that was cut out without hand and it became such a large stone. Daniel 2:44, it says: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

The kingdom shall not be left in the hands of babies. It shall not be left in the hands of hypocrites. The kingdom shall not be left in the hands of religious people and that’s why Jesus said in Luke 11:2, “So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.”

It helps us to understand the nature of the kingdom. This kingdom we are talking about is not a child’s play and that’s the kingdom you and I represent. You see that you can’t represent the kingdom as a child, you can’t represent the kingdom in ignorance. Its costly. That’s why God will not allow it. If you don’t understand the kingdom, you can’t represent it. When Jesus was going to teach His disciples how to pray in Luke 11:2, He said to them when you pray, “Say our father in heaven, hallowed be your name” and what should be your first request, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and that’s why in Matthew 6:33, it says “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” seek first the interest of the kingdom. Your interest should be first the kingdom.

Your desire should be first the kingdom. That’s when you are mature. That’s when you show to God that you are ready to represent His kingdom. When Jesus was to sacrifice and do a great task for the kingdom. He did not consider Himself. For the love of the king and the kingdom He sacrificed His life, seeking first the interest of the kingdom, He gave His life. No wonder He became a worthy example and the first citizen of the kingdom. He said to the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God is already in your midst. If I, by the finger of God healed this man, then the kingdom of God is upon you.”

Representing the kingdom of God is not child’s play, it is not for us to say when I feel like or when I don’t feel like it. It should be the first and paramount thing and that’s why representing the kingdom is not an issue for children. It is for sons. A child cannot represent his father successfully, until the child becomes a son so until you become the son of God, you can’t represent the king of our kingdom. Our king is not represented by children. It is represented by sons, princes, kings after His own order. You can’t make a child a king because if you make a child a king, the child will need an agent to rule and reign until the child becomes of age. He can’t take full authority and dominion. Are we seeking first the kingdom of God? In our daily choices as leaders, are we seeking first the interest of the kingdom above any other things?

No wonder Elisha said to Gehazi, “you don’t understand kingdom, young man, is it the time to collect raiment? Is it the time for silver and gold? This man has come all the way, a general, a centurion, he has come all the way to come and nest on the tree of this kingdom and you are sending him away because of silver and gold, you don’t understand kingdom matter, it is serious.”

Hope you are not a Gehazi? Hope you are not sending people away from the kingdom? Hope you are not a wrong ambassador? Hope you are not a child ambassador that does not understand the rudiments of the kingdom you are representing? And you are representing a king? God desires that you represent him well. The kingdom we represent is not the kingdom of England. This is the kingdom of God. The everlasting kingdom. The kingdom that does not have a beginning and does not have an end. The kingdom that transcends every human generation. The kingdom that has the Almighty God. The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings as the ruler.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Lara Gboyega Adedeji!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!